Broncos rookies led the way for an offense that found near-perfect balance

DENVER — The hole through which RJ Harvey dashed for the 40-yard touchdown that put the Broncos in front of the Dallas Cowboys to stay Sunday was bulbous enough for a hippopotamus. Garett Bolles and Luke Wattenberg took care of that, with Alex Palczewski driving downfield to clear space.

But the play would have been dead on arrival had Pat Bryant not been there to guide Cowboys defensive end Sam Williams away from the rookie running back.

Bryant blocked inside and Harvey curved around him. Williams had 60 pounds on Bryant, but the rookie wide receiver had the advantage, guiding the four-year veteran exactly where he wanted him to go: safely away from and behind Harvey.

And once Marvin Mims Jr. occupied Kaiir Elam, Harvey had all the room he needed. He was free and clear and in full gallop for the first rushing touchdown of his career, the first third of his hat trick for the day and the launch of the Broncos to their highest offensive output at home in 11 years.

The accelerator was mashed and the Broncos rarely let their foot off it for the remainder of the afternoon. Harvey averaged 6.4 yards every time he touched the football on offense, and in a season in which yards have sometimes been difficult to find for the Central Florida product, he’s already displayed a nose for the end zone; his five touchdowns lead the club, and only kicker Wil Lutz has more points.

Eventually, Bryant would grab the first touchdown pass of his career, a 24-yard grab 39 seconds before halftime that helped turn Sunday’s game into a romp.

Rook's first TD‼️

📺: CBS | @PatBryant pic.twitter.com/habhQ8oIIK

— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) October 26, 2025

Harvey got much of the glory, but Bryant deserved some of it, too, which is why the touchdown was a justified reward — not just for his contribution to Harvey’s jaunt, but the dirty work at which he’s become more adept.

“Pat’s a stud, man. He’s a hard-nosed competitor, tough as hell,” right tackle Mike McGlinchey said. “And you’re seeing it every day at practice, which is why he’s on the field more and more and more.”

In a way, blocks like the one Bryant had on Harvey’s touchdown made his own score possible.

“It’s his blocking that transitions into his pass catching,” quarterback Bo Nix said.

Bryant showed that ability in the preseason, of course; his downfield block on an Evan Engram catch-and-run in Denver’s second preseason game demanded notice from those who might not have noticed the third-round pick in the previous four months since the Broncos selected him.

If you block, you’ll play.

“He’s an incredible run blocker,” right guard Quinn Meinerz said.

In the first four games of the season, Bryant never played more than 33 percent of the offensive snaps. In each of the last four games, he’s played at least 50 percent of the snaps, including 56 percent on Sunday. He made his place.

“Blocking like that and being a huge part of our run game is why he gets rewarded with a touchdown later in the game. Those things happen all the timem” McGlinchey said. “When all 11 are bought into running the football and Pat is at the point of attack on a lot of runs as a receiver, it really allows you to do a lot of different things offensively and it’s going to be huge for us moving forward.”

Added Meinerz: “[Bryant] is putting his helmet and hands on people all the time. When we watch the tape, you notice it, when we’re watching from the [end-zone] view. But we see Pat launching and throwing his body into the pile to get those blocks.”

And that, combined with the work up front from the offensive line, is how you have a second 100-yard rusher in the last five weeks, a game with a near 50-50 run-pass balance — 29 pass plays and 28 runs — and why the Broncos have more rushing yards through eight games than in any season since 2011, when they HAD TO run because their starting quarterback, for all of his effort, couldn’t complete 50 percent of his attempts.

Fortunately, the Broncos have no such worries with their passer these days. Just a running game with a quintet of maulers up front, a dynamic one-two punch with a sage vet and a rusing rookie in the backfield, and a group of receivers who can mix it up downfield — with the newest member of the group who might be the best blocker of them all.

“I told [Harvey] all week. I tell all the running backs, ‘Man, if y’ all ever want to bounce it, any way, just find 13, I’ll make sure y’all boys get to the box,'” Bryant said.

THAT BEING SAID, BRONCOS OFFENSE HAS A BIGGER CHALLENGE NEXT WEEK

Sunday, the Broncos did what an offense SHOULD do to a defense that offered up only passive resistance for most of the afternoon.

Dallas’ defense played like a unit stripped of its best player just days before the season started. Funny how that works.

Maybe the team should consider the long-time general manager who ultimately pushed the button on the move, considering it came on the heels of a 29th consecutive season that fell short of reaching a conference-championship game.

Of course, when your general manager is also the owner, making the necessary move — the one that any normal organization would execute — gets a tad complicated. The Cowboys are a circus of dysfunction, and the Broncos ensured that the clowns would continue to be sent into action.

That the Broncos shredded the sieve-like Dallas defense was no surprise.

But that they did so with two of their key rookies setting the tone on offense was perhaps the most promising development that will linger from this game. Throw in an interception from first-round pick Jahdae Barron on defense, and you have a romp that belonged to the rookies as much as it did the veterans.

“I mean, it just shows what we’re capable of,” Bryant said.

And it offers a hint of more to come.

Related

As Broncos prepare for preseason test, there’s a key trend they hope sustainsHere’s when the Broncos will wear their throwback, navy-blue, orange and white jerseys in 2026Broncos reveal parking and tailgating plan for Burnham YardBo Nix won’t play in Broncos first preseason game, QB plan revealedBroncos list Jarrett Stidham as No. 2 QB on first depth chart of 2026 seasonBroncos 15th most valuable franchise in NFL, worth more than $9 billion